Charge station queue management

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed a method and a system for management of electric vehicle charging station queues. The method includes maintaining a plurality of requests to utilize the electric vehicle charging station in a queue defining an order of electric vehicles to be charged at the electric vehicle charging station and sensing that a charging vehicle at an electric vehicle charging station and associated with a first vehicle operator has completed a charging process. The method further includes notifying the first vehicle operator that the charging process is completed and providing an allotted vacation time period in which the first vehicle operator may vacate the charging vehicle from the electric vehicle charging station and increasing the cost associated with continued charging of the charging vehicle if the charging vehicle is not vacated from the electric vehicle charging station within the allotted vacation time.

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHTS AND TRADE DRESS

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. This patent document may showand/or describe matter which is or may become trade dress of the owner.The copyright and trade dress owner has no objection to the facsimilereproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure as it appears in thePatent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwisereserves all copyright and trade dress rights whatsoever.

RELATED APPLICATION INFORMATION

This patent is related to the following co-pending applications:

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/693,839 filed Dec. 4, 2012 andentitled “ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATION, SYSTEM, AND METHODS”.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/670,347 filed Nov. 6, 2012 andentitled “QUEUE PRIORITIZATION FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS”.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/670,352 filed Nov. 6, 2012 andentitled “MANAGEMENT OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATION QUEUES”.

PCT application number PCT/US13/68203 filed Nov. 4, 2013 and entitled“ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATION, SYSTEM, AND METHODS”.

PCT application number PCT/US13/68201 filed Nov. 4, 2013 and entitled“QUEUE PRIORITIZATION FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS”.

PCT application number PCT/US13/68202 filed Nov. 4, 2013 and entitled“MANAGEMENT OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATION QUEUES”.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

This disclosure relates to the management of electric vehicle chargingstations queues.

2. Description of the Related Art

The owners of plug-in electric and hybrid electric vehicles, which willbe referred to herein as PEVs, typically have a dedicated chargingstation at the home or other location where the vehicle is normallygaraged. However, without the existence of an infrastructure of publiccharging station, the applications for PEVs will be limited to commutingand other short-distance travel. In this patent, a charging station isconsidered “public” if it is accessible and usable by plurality ofdrivers, as opposed to a private charging station located at a PEVowner's home. A “public” charging station is not necessarily accessibleto any and all PEVs. Public charging stations may be disposed, forexample at commercial buildings, shopping malls, multi-unit dwellings,governmental facilities and other locations.

In the U.S., charging stations usually comply with the Society ofAutomotive Engineers (SAE) standard, SAE J1772™. This standard refers tocharging stations as “electric vehicle support equipment”, leading tothe widely used acronym EVSE. However, since the only support actuallyprovided by an EVSE is charging, this patent will use the termelectrical vehicle charging station or EVCS.

Typically, EVCS are first-come, first-served. That is, the first userthat arrives at an EVCS may use the station and continue to use the EVCSuntil that user decides to leave. This rewards early arrivals atlocations and is typical for normal parking spaces. However, thisresults in a sub-optimal allocation of the few EVCS typically availablein most locations.

For example, a user can leave his or her home fully-charged and arriveat a destination with nearly-full batteries. The user may then park atan EVCS and begin charging his or her electric vehicle. The electricvehicle may be fully charged within one to three hours, but the user'scar may remain in the spot for the remainder of the day. Meanwhile,other individuals with electric vehicles who arrived later or with lowerbattery charge levels are unable to access the EVCS.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an environment for charging an electricvehicle.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electric vehicle charging station (EVCS)cloud.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a computing device.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an EVCS.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a personal computing/communications device.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for a process of joining an EVCS queue.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for a process of handling a completed electricvehicle charge.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for a process of queue transition handling.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for a process of dealing with a missed EVCSreservation.

FIG. 10 is an example queue.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are notifications to a vehicle operator in an EVCS.

FIGS. 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D and 12E are notifications to a vehicle operatorin an EVCS queue.

Throughout this description, elements appearing in figures are assignedthree-digit reference designators, where the most significant digit isthe figure number and the two least significant digits are specific tothe element. An element that is not described in conjunction with afigure may be presumed to have the same characteristics and function asa previously-described element having a reference designator with thesame least significant digits.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Description of Apparatus

Referring now to FIG. 1, an environment 100 for charging an electricvehicle 140 may include an EVCS 110 connected to a utility grid 130 viaa meter 120. The EVCS may communicate with a driver's personalcommunications device (PCD) 150 over a first wireless communicationspath 115. The PCD may, in turn, connect to a network 190 over a secondwireless communication path 155. The first wireless communications path115 may use, for example, Bluetooth™, ZigBee™, or some other short-rangewireless communications protocol. The second communications path 155 mayuse, for example, WiFi™ or a cell phone data communications protocol toconnect to the network 190. The PCD 150 may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a computer operating as apart of the PEV or some other device capable of communicating with theEVCS 110 and the network 190.

The PCD 150 may run or access an application, or “app”, 152 that enablesthe PCD to serve as a user interface for the EVCS 110. This app 152 maybe web-based or compiled for use on the PCD. The EVCS 110 and thenetwork 190 may communicate using a third communications path 145. Thisthird communications path 145 may be wireless, as described above, orwired. If the third communications path 145 is wired, it may rely uponTCP/IP protocols, proprietary protocols, or protocols based upon the OSImodel. In some situations, the PCD 150 running the app 152 may alsofunction as a bridge to provide bidirectional communications between theEVCS 110 and the network 190.

A server 160 may manage a network of vehicle charging stations includingthe EVCS 110. The server 160 may monitor the operation of the EVCS 110.The server 160 may manage billing and/or cost allocation for the use ofthe EVCS 110. The server 160 may manage an authorization system to limitaccess to the EVCS 110 to only authorized vehicles or drivers. Theserver 160 may also manage a reservation or queue system to allowauthorized drivers to reserve future use of the EVCS 110. The server 160may communicate with the EVCS 110 via the network and the thirdcommunications path 145. The server 160 may communicate with the EVCS110 via the network and the PCD 150. In this case, communicationsbetween the server 160 and the EVCS 110 may be intermittent and onlyoccur when a PCD 150 running the app 152 is present.

A vehicle operator may communicate with the server 160 using their PCD150 or using another computing device such as a personal computer 170coupled to the network 190 by a wired or wireless communications path175. The driver may communicate with the server 160, for example, toestablish an account, to provide billing information, to make areservation, or for some other purpose. Throughout this patent, theterms “vehicle operator” and “driver” are synonymous and refer to thecurrent operator of a motor vehicle.

The meter 120 may be a conventional electric utility meter or aso-called “smart meter” that communicates with the utility grid 130 andthe EVCS 110. The EVCS 110 may communicate with a smart meter 120, whenpresent, using the same wireless protocol used to communicate with thePCD 150 or a different wireless communications protocol. The EVCS maycommunicate with the smart meter 120 using a power line communications(PLC) protocol such as, for example, the IEEE 1901 protocol.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a cloud 200 may support a plurality of EVCSmanagement networks, each of with may operate, for example, as a virtualprivate network within the cloud 200. Three EVCS management networks210, 220, 230 are shown in this example. A network may contain more orfewer than three EVCS management networks. Each of the EVCS managementnetworks may be owned or operated by different business entities suchas, for example, electric utility companies and manufacturers of EVCSequipment. The cloud 200 may include a physical or virtual server 240 tomanage interactions between the EVCS management networks 210, 220, 230.

Each EVCS management network 210, 220, 230 may include one or more EVCSoperating at respective locations. Each EVCS management network 210,220, 230 may include a respective server 215, 225, 235 to manage access,billing, and queuing for the one or more EVCS within the network.

The server 240 may communicate with each of the EVCS management networks210, 220, 230. The server 240 may manage transactions between the EVCSmanagement networks 210, 220, 230. For example, a customer or member ofEVCS management network 1 210 may be at a location remote from any EVCSin EVCS management network 1, and may need to access an EVCS withinanother EVCS management network. The customer may communicate withserver 215 with in EVCS management network 1 210 to request access to an“out of network” EVCS. The servers 215 may then communicate with server225 and/or server 235 via server 240 to gain customer access to an EVCSwithin EVCS management network 2 220 or EVCS management network 3 230.Billing and payments for access to the out-of-network EVCS may beprocessed via the server 240.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of a computing device 300 isshown. The computing device 300 may be, for example, the server 160 ofFIG. 1 or the servers 215, 225, 235 or 240 of FIG. 2. The computingdevice 300 includes a processor 310, memory 320, storage 330, acommunication interface 340 and an operator interface 350. The storage330 includes a driver database 332, an EVCS database 334 and a networkdatabase 336.

The processor 310 may include hardware, which may be augmented byfirmware, for providing functionality and features described herein. Theprocessor 310 may include one or more processor circuits such asmicroprocessors, digital signal processors, and graphic processors. Theprocessor 310 may include other circuits such as logic arrays, analogcircuits, and/or digital circuits.

The memory 320 may include static or dynamic random access memory,read-only memory, and/or nonvolatile memory such as flash memory.Information stored in the memory may includes a BIOS (basic input/outputsystem) to initialize the processor 310, interim and final test data,and other data relating to ongoing operation of the processor 310.

The storage 330 may include one or more storage devices. As used herein,a “storage device” is a device that allows for reading and/or writing toa storage medium. These storage media include, for example, magneticmedia such as hard disks, optical media such as compact disks (CD-ROMand CD-RW) and digital versatile disks (DVD and DVD±RW); flash memorydevices; and other storage media. As used herein, the term “storagemedia” means a physical object for storing information. The term storagemedia does not encompass transitory media such as signals and waveforms.

Information stored in the storage 330 may include a driver database 332.The driver database 332 may contain information pertaining to drivers(or operators) of PEV that may access the computing device 300. Thedriver database 332 may include information, for each driver, such as auser name or other unique identification, an associated password,address information, billing information, a driver's real name, adriver's email address, a driver's mobile telephone number and apreferred method of contact. Additional or less information pertainingto a driver may be maintained by the driver database 332. For example, adriver's employment, VIP or group membership status may also be storedin the driver database 332.

The storage 330 may include an EVCS database 334. The EVCS database 334may contain information pertaining to each of the EVCS that are servicedby the computing device 300. For example, in FIG. 2, each server 215,225, 235 managed one or more EVCS within a respective EVCS managementnetwork 210, 220, 230. The EVCS database 334 may store informationpertaining to the network address (if any) of each EVCS under itsservice, the capabilities of each EVCS, the current and projected use ofeach EVCS, any queue of users wishing to access each EVCS (in some casesa group of EVCS may be managed under a single queue, for example, at alocation including multiple EVCS), the driver currently using each EVCSand any other information pertaining to each EVCS.

The storage 330 may include a network database 336 in addition to orinstead of the driver database 332 and/or the EVCS database 334. Thenetwork database 336 may include data pertaining to communicating andmanaging transactions with one or more EVCS networks. The networkdatabase 336 may maintain authentication or other information necessaryto enable this access. For example, the server 240 in FIG. 2 may includea network database containing information necessary to managetransactions between the EVCS management networks 210, 220, 230. Theserver 240 may not contain a driver database and/or an EVCS databasesince the server 240 may rely upon the servers 215, 225, 235 within therespective EVCS networks to store driver and EVCS information.

Information stored in the storage 330 may also include programinstructions for execution by the processor 310. The programinstructions may be in the form of one or more application programs,dynamic linked librarys (DLLs), or subroutines of any of the above. Theprogram instructions may include an operating system such as, forexample, variations of the Linux, Microsoft Windows®, Symbian®,Android®, and Apple® operating systems.

The communication interface 340 may include specialized circuitsrequired to interface the computing device 300 with, for example, anetwork such as network 190 in FIG. 1, a PCD or a PEV. The communicationinterface 340 may include interfaces to one or more wired or wirelessnetworks. The communication interface 340 may include, for example, oneor more of an Ethernet™ interface for connection to a wired network, aBlue Tooth™ transceiver, a Zigbee™ transceiver, a WiFi™ transceiver,and/or a transceiver for some other wireless communications protocol.The communication interface 340 may be used to communicate informationto and/or to receive information from a PCD or with a PEV that is orwill be using an EVCS.

The operator interface 350 is used for an operator of the computingdevice 300 to interact with and to operate the computing device 300. Theoperator interface 350 may include a color or black-and-white flat paneldisplay, such as a liquid crystal display, and one or more data entrydevices such as a touch panel, a keyboard, and/or a mouse or otherpointing device. The operator interface 350 may be or include a remoteterminal, such as remote access via a secure shell connection or aspecialized and authenticated application programming interface (API),that enables secure remote connections used to access the computingdevice 300.

Throughout the present patent, the term “automatic” or “automatically”shall mean that an operation occurs through the operation of a computeralgorithm and without any human intervention. Throughout this patent,the term “storage media” shall explicitly exclude non-transitory mediasuch as waveforms and signals.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a block diagram of an EVCS 400 is shown. TheEVCS may include power control 410, power metering 420, a controller430, storage 440, a vehicle communication interface 450, and acommunication interface 460. The storage 440 may store data including anEVCS ID 442 and access key(s) 444.

The power control 410 handles the receipt of power from the power gridby the EVCS 400. The power control 410 is instructed by the controller430 to direct power through the power metering 420 to a vehicle beingcharged by the EVCS 400. The power control 410 may be, for example, arelay or solid-state switch to either turn on or turn off the chargingpower to the vehicle in response to an instruction from the controller430. The power metering 420 measures the current passing through thepower control and accumulates the total charge or energy delivered fromthe EVCS 400 to the vehicle. This power metering 420 may be used indetermining the appropriate cost to the operator of the vehicle.

The controller 430, which may be a computing device including one ormore processors and memory, may communicate with vehicles, such as aPEV, using the vehicle communication interface 450. The vehiclecommunication interface 450 may, for example, provide a pilot linesignal to the PEV in accordance with SAE J1772™. The vehiclecommunication interface 450 may communicate with vehicles in some othermanner such as power line communications or wirelessly. Through thevehicle communication interface 450, the controller 430 of the EVCS mayreceive information from the vehicle indicating the current charge stateof a PEV, the rate at which that charge state is changing for a PEV and,as a result, be able to estimate a time-to-full charge state. Thecommunication interface 460 may be used to communicate with the networkand, by extension, with an EVCS server, such as the servers 215, 225,235, in an EVCS network that includes the EVCS 400. The communicationinterface 460 may communicate with the network by way of a wiredconnection, such as an Ethernet connection. The communication interface460 may communicate with the network by a wireless connection such as aWiFi local area network or a cellular telephone connection. Thecommunication interface may communicate with the network directly orindirectly by way of a wireless connection to a driver's smart phone orother personal communication device.

The controller 430 may use the communication interface 460 to obtaindata pertaining to drivers of PEVs, to obtain access to a queue ofpotential EVCS users, to transmit data pertaining to use of the EVCS byparticular drivers and/or PEVs, and/or to communicate driver and billinginformation. For example, the EVCS may communicate to an EVCS serverthat the EVCS is no longer in use by the most recent driver. As aresult, the EVCS server may respond with data pertaining to the nextdriver in the queue and to instruct the EVCS to limit access to onlythat next driver for a changeover period. The EVCS 400 may then use thecommunication interface 460 to notify the next driver, such as throughsimple message service or email, that the EVCS 400 is available for hisor her use. Alternatively, the EVCS server may send such a notificationin response to the EVCS communicating that the EVCS 400 is no longer inuse.

The EVCS 400 also includes storage 440. The storage 440 providesnonvolatile storage of program instructions and data for use by thecontroller 430. Data stored in the storage 440 may include an EVCS ID442 and one or more access key(s) 444. The EVCS ID 442 may be a uniqueidentifier that is used to uniquely identify each EVCS in an EVCSnetwork. The EVCS ID 442 may be, for example, a serial number, a MACaddress, some other similar unique identifier, or a combination of twoor more identifiers. The EVCS ID 442 may be derived by encrypting aserial number, a MAC address, some other unique identifier, or acombination of two or more identifiers. The EVCS ID 442 may be a randomnumber or other identifier assigned by a remote device such as a serverthat manages an EVCS network containing the EVCS 400. The controller 430may use the EVCS ID to uniquely identify the EVCS 400 to the networkand/or PEVs using the communication interface 460 and the vehiclecommunication interface 450, respectively.

The access keys 444 may include one or more keys that allow a driver tocharge a PEV at the EVCS 400. In order to charge a PEV, the driver mustprovide the EVCS 400 with an access key that matches one of the storedaccess keys 444. The access keys 444 may include, for example, an accesskey that allows unlimited use of the EVCS for charging and one or morerestricted access keys that allow restricted use of the EVCS. A restrictuse access key may be limited to, for example, a specific time window, aparticular time of day, or one-time only use. A driver may present anaccess key to the EVCS 400, for example, by entering the access keyusing a keypad or other data entry device, or by communicating theaccess key wirelessly from a PCD.

The access key(s) 444 may also include one or more keys used by anadministrator or maintenance personnel to, either remotely or directlyat the EVCS 400, access maintenance and administrative features for theEVCS 400. For example, an administrator may be required to input anaccess key 444 in order to access administrator functions for the EVCS400. In addition, the storage 440 may store software suitable to performthe various functions of the EVCS 400 described herein. The storage 440may also store data pertaining to usage of various PEVs and associatedusers such that billing may be properly reported to, for example, anEVCS server. The storage 440 may also store a periodically updated queueof users waiting to gain access to the EVCS.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a personal computing/communicationsdevice 500 (a “PCD”). The PCD 500 includes a processor 510, memory 520,storage 530, local wireless communications interface 540, wirelessnetwork interface(s) 550 and a driver interface 560. The driverinterface 560 may be, for example, a touch screen display or some othercombination of a display and a data input device such as a keypad and/ora pointing device.

The local wireless communications interface 540 may be, for example, aBluetooth™, Zigbee™ or wireless local area network interface that canconnect within a short distance of the PCD 500. This local wirelesscommunications interface 540 may be used, for example, to connect to anEVCS, such as the EVCS 400, in order to exchange data pertaining to theEVCS.

The wireless network interface(s) 550 may be one or more interfaceusable to send and receive data over a long-range wireless communicationnetwork. This wireless network may be, for example, a mobile telephonenetwork with data capabilities and/or a WiFi local area network or otherwireless local area network.

The processor 510 and memory 520 serve substantially similar functionsto the processor 310 and memory 320 in FIG. 3. The storage 530 may servesubstantially similar functions to the storage 330 in FIG. 3. Thestorage 530 may store a driver ID 532, one or more EVCS access keys 534,and an electric vehicle charging application (EVC App) 536.

The driver ID 532 may be, for example, provided by an EVCS server orrelated web-based software. The driver ID 532 uniquely identifies theoperator of the PCD 500 to an EVCS. The driver ID 532, therefore, may beused to enable EVCS charging to an intended operator of the PCD 500 andmay enable billing for EVCS services to the correct individual. Thedriver ID 532 may be transmitted to an EVCS (to be forwarded on by theEVCS to an EVCS server) using the wireless network interface(s) 550.

The EVCS access keys 534 may enable a driver in possession of the PCD500 to access an EVCS such as the EVCS 400 in order to charge a PEV.Upon receiving a request to charge a PEV, the EVCS may require thedriver to submit both a driver ID and an Access Key, and may provide thecharging service only if the submitted access key matches an access keystored within the EVCS.

When executed, the EVC App 536 may cause the PCD 500 to serve as aninterface between the driver and the EVCS. For example, the EVC App maycause a graphical user interface (GUI) for the EVCS to be presented onthe driver interface 560. The driver may then use the GUI to requestcharging services from the EVCS. The EVC App 536 may also cause the PCDto provide the charging service request, the driver ID 532 and an EVCSaccess key to the EVCS using either the local wireless communicationsinterface 540 or a wireless network interface 550.

Description of Processes

Referring now to FIG. 6, a flowchart 600 for the process of joining anEVCS queue. The process has a start 605 and an end 695, but manyinstances of this process may be taking place simultaneously withvarious vehicle operators at once. For example, multiple vehicleoperators may be added to the queue at or near the same time, eachfollowing a process substantially similar to that shown in FIG. 6. Theprocess shown in FIG. 6 may be implemented as an algorithm by the EVCS,and specifically by the controller 430 or may be implemented as analgorithm by a server, such as servers 215 and/or 240.

The process shown in FIG. 6 begins when a vehicle operator arrives at anEVCS and would like to charge. Arrival at or near an EVCS is preferredbecause it ensures utilization of the EVCS in ways that remote queuingdo not. Specifically, usage of a vehicle operator's PCD to activate anEVCS may be required before an EVCS queue may be joined. This arrivalmay be determined based upon short-range wireless protocols, GPS orother location-tracking capabilities and other, similar, technologies.

After arrival at or near an EVCS at the start 605, a determination ismade by a controller, such as controller 430 or servers 215 and/or 240,in the EVCS whether the EVCS is in use at 610. If the EVCS is not in useat 610, then a determination is made at 615 whether the EVCS has anactive reservation. An active reservation means that the EVCS is beingreserved (for a temporary, changeover period) for a particular vehicleoperator. If a determination is made at 615 that the EVCS has an activereservation, a further determination is made at 635 whether or not theactive reservation is held by the vehicle operator who arrived at theEVCS at 605. If a determination is made at 635 that the EVCS is beingreserved for the arriving vehicle operator, then the vehicle of thearriving vehicle operator may be moved into the EVCS and the vehicle maybegin charging at 630. If the EVCS is not being reserved for thearriving vehicle operator, then the arriving vehicle operator isnotified that he or she must move at 640.

If there is no active reservation at 615, a determination is made, forexample by the controller 430 or servers 215 and/or 240, whether thearriving vehicle operator is authorized at 625. In some cases, thevehicle operator may not be authorized to access the EVCS. The EVCS mayalways be reserved for employees, may be reserved for a predeterminedgroup of users or, otherwise, may be made unavailable to some vehicleoperators. If the vehicle operator is authorized, for example being amember of the public with a viable credit card in a public parkinggarage, then the vehicle operator is authorized to use the EVCS and theEVCS begins charging the electric vehicle at 630. If the arrivingvehicle operator is not authorized, the operator may be notified of thisfact at 660 and the process 600 may then end at 695.

If the EVCS is in use (“yes” at 610) or is being reserved for use bysomeone other than the arriving vehicle operator (“No” AT 635), then thearriving vehicle operator may be allowed to be added to a queue ofpotential users of the EVCS at 645. If the arriving vehicle operatorelects not to be added to the queue, then the process ends at 695.

If the arriving vehicle operator elects to be added to the queue at 645,then a determination is made, for example by the controller 430, whetherthe arriving vehicle operator is authorized at 655. If the arrivingvehicle operator is not authorized, either at 625 or at 655, then thearriving vehicle operator is notified that he or she is not authorizedto use the EVCS and, therefore, not entitled to enter the queue, at 660.The process then ends at 695.

If the arriving vehicle operator is authorized to enter the queue at655, then the arriving vehicle operator is added to the queue at 670 andnotified that the process of queuing has been successful at 680. Thenotification process of successful queuing at 680, among other things,ensures that the notification process for informing the arriving vehicleoperator of EVCS availability (e.g. at 840 below) and for asking avehicle operator whose vehicle is currently occupying an EVCS to vacatethe EVCS when his or her vehicle has charged (e.g. at 720 below)operates appropriately. In this way, the controller 430 or the server215 and/or server 240 can ensure that the EVCS system has access to thevehicle operator before his or her vehicle is actually using the EVCS tocharge.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for a process 700 of handling a completed electricvehicle charge. The process 700 begins at 705 and ends at 795. Theprocess 700 shown in FIG. 6 may be implemented as an algorithm by theEVCS, and specifically by the controller 430 or may be implemented as analgorithm by a server, such as servers 215 and/or 240.

The process 700 begins when the EVCS system recognizes that a “currentelectric vehicle” (the vehicle currently connected to the EVCS) hascompleted charging. This may be detected by a voltage drop indicatingthat the current electric vehicle is no longer taking a charge. This maybe indicated by a direct communications interface between the EVCS andthe current electric vehicle. Communications across the interface mayindicate that the current electric vehicle has reached a charged state.This may also be indicated based upon the completion of a time period,such as two hours, for which the EVCS was allocated to the currentelectric vehicle, after which the EVCS system must be made available foruse by others.

Once a determination that the current electric vehicle has completedcharging, the process 700 starts at 705. Next, a determination is made,for example by the controller 430 or servers 215 and/or 240, whetherthere is a queued vehicle operator in the queue at 715. If there is noqueued vehicle operator in the queue at 715, then the current electricvehicle operator is notified that the charge is complete at 720. Thecurrent vehicle operator is also asked to move his or her vehicle fromthe EVCS in order to make it available to other, potential operators.

An example of such a notification to a current vehicle operator (theoperator of the “current electric vehicle”) appears in FIG. 11A. Thesubject 1110 of the notification indicates that the charge is completeand includes the time. The content 1112 of the notification asks thecurrent vehicle operator to move his or her vehicle and indicates thatfailure to move within 10 minutes will result in an increase in theprice being charged for access to the EVCS. As described more fullybelow, these additional charges encourage EVCS users to vacate the EVCSwhen their vehicles are charged. The time allotted to a user to vacatehis or her vehicle from the EVCS is called the “vacation time” or“vacation time period” herein.

If there is queued vehicle operator in the queue at 715, then thecurrent vehicle operator is notified that his or her charge is complete(as shown in FIG. 11A) and the queued vehicle operator is notified thatthe EVCS is in the process of being vacated by the prior occupant at730. An example of such a notification appears in FIG. 12A. The subject1210 indicates that the EVCS will be available soon and the content 1212indicates that the EVCS will be available soon.

In addition, the queued vehicle operator may be empowered to anonymouslycontact the current vehicle operator in order to facilitate the currentvehicle operator's vacation of the EVCS at 740. For example, the queuedvehicle operator may be able to send anonymous SMS messages, emails ormessages via an application operating on the queued vehicle operator andcurrent vehicle operator's PCDs. In this way, the two may communicateone with another, without requiring either to know or share privatecontact information with one another.

Next, a determination is made at 745, for example by the controller 430,whether the current vehicle has moved within the allotted vacation time.This may be a determination that the current vehicle has or has not beenunplugged from the EVCS. It may be a determination that a weight sensorno longer senses weight upon the parking space at EVCS. This may bedetermined using a camera, motion sensor, or proximity sensor or anycombination of these.

If a determination is made at 745 that the current electric vehicle hasnot moved within the allotted vacation time, then the penalty pricingindicated in the notice sent at 720 will be enabled at 750. The examplenotice in FIG. 11A indicates that the pricing will be 200% of the baseEVCS rate per minute. However, other pricing models may be used. Forexample, the current vehicle operator that has failed to vacate the EVCSmay be barred from using the EVCS again for a period of time, such as afew weeks.

Alternatively, a pricing model in which the price slowly rises over thecourse of an hour or two, with periodic notices to the current vehicleoperator, such that it slowly becomes prohibitively expensive tocontinue occupying the EVCS. This increase in price may be top-boundsuch that the total cost for an entire day does not exceed apredetermined sum, such as $50 or $200. In some cases, for example ifthe current vehicle operator is a member of a special group (employees,VIPs, etc.) the penalty pricing may not be enabled.

The current vehicle operator is notified of the penalty pricing at 760.An example of such a notice appears in FIG. 11B. The subject 1120 of thenotice indicates the pricing penalty type as “regressive” and indicatesthe time. The content 1122 indicates the cost now being allotted for theEVCS and the reason for the additional cost. Once the notice is sent at760, the system awaits movement of the current vehicle. Additionalpenalty pricing may be enabled at 750 with further, associated noticesat 760.

Once a determination is made at 745 that the current vehicle has moved,payment for the charge is processed at 770. This may include the penaltypricing enabled at 740. The payment may be processed remotely or by theEVCS and may or may not rely upon payment methods provided at the EVCS.For example, payment may be made through the GUI provided on the PCD ormay be input into a GUI on the PCD before a charge begins, with thepayment only occurring once the vehicle charge is complete. For example,the current vehicle operator may receive a notification of the costs ofthe vehicle charge and an email or SMS receipt sent to the PCD or storedin an account associated with the current vehicle operator.

The process 700 then ends once the current vehicle has left the EVCS andthe payment has been processed at 770.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for a process 800 of queue transition handling.The process 800 has a beginning at 805 and an end at 895. Many instancesof the process 800 may be taking place simultaneously across a series ofEVCS (for example a group of EVCS operating at a location). The process800 may operate as an algorithm for a controller, such as controller 430or may be implemented as an algorithm by a server, such as servers 215and/or 240.

The process 800 starts at 805 when either a current electric vehicle isunplugged from an EVCS or otherwise moved from an EVCS or aftercompletion of payment processing 770 in the process 700 of FIG. 7. Thesystem, for example, the controller 430 or servers 215 and/or 240,determines whether there is at least one vehicle operator in the queueat 815. In the situation in which the process 700 described with respectto FIG. 7 is completing as the process 800 in FIG. 8 begins, it ispossible that this determination has already been made at 715. In such acase, the system may refer to the results of the prior determination.

Otherwise, when a current electric vehicle is unplugged or otherwisemoved from an EVCS or the process 800 begins, the determination thatthere is at least one vehicle operator in the queue at 815 is made. Ifthere is no other vehicle operator in the queue at 815, then the processends at 895.

If there is one or more vehicle operator in the queue at 815, then theEVCS will be reserved for the next vehicle operator (the vehicleoperator at the top of the queue) at 830 for a predetermined period oftime. This period of time may be set by an administrator or may bebased, in part, upon group membership. For example, members of thepublic may be provided less time in which to move into an open EVCS thanan executive at a company. The executive's schedule may be less-flexiblethan the public or than some other employees. As such, a longer timeperiod (between meetings or the like) may be provided for a “VIP” tomove than is provided to other potential EVCS users.

The next vehicle operator may be notified of the availability of theEVCS at 840 along with the movement period during which the EVCS isbeing reserved for the next vehicle operator. Such a notice appears inFIG. 12B. The subject 1220 of the notice indicates that the EVCS isavailable and the content 1222 indicates the movement period duringwhich the EVCS is being reserved for the next vehicle operator.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for a process 900 of dealing with a missed EVCSreservation. The process 900 has a beginning at 905 and an end at 995.Many instances of the process 900 may be taking place simultaneouslyacross a series of EVCS (for example a group of EVCS operating at alocation). The process 900 may operate as an algorithm for a controller,such as controller 430 or may be implemented as an algorithm by aserver, such as servers 215 and/or 240.

The process begins when an EVCS has been reserved for a next vehicleoperator and the next vehicle operator has received notice that the EVCSis being reserved for their use. This may be, for example, after thenotification sent at 840 of FIG. 8 and that process 800 ends at 895.

First, a determination is made whether the next vehicle operator forwhom the EVCS is being reserved arrived on time for his or herreservation at 915. If soothe next vehicle operator arrived on time, theauthorization process is completed and charging begins at 920 afterwhich the process ends at 995.

If the next vehicle operator has not arrived on time at 915, then areservation warning is sent to the next vehicle operator at 930. Anexample of such a reservation warning appears in FIG. 12C. The subject1230 of the example warning indicates that it is a warning regarding theEVCS. The content 1232 of the warning indicates that the next vehicleoperator has an additional movement period in which to move the electricvehicle into the EVCS before the reservation is lost. This additionalmovement period may be in addition to the movement period previouslyprovided or may be only the remainder of the movement period previouslyprovided. In such a situation, the reservation warning sent at 930 maybe sent before the entire allotted movement period is elapsed.

Next, a determination is made whether or not the next vehicle operatorhas arrived during the additional movement period at the EVCS at 935. Ifso, the next vehicle operator is authorized and begins the chargingprocess at 940, after which the process 900 ends at 995.

If a determination is made at 935 that the next vehicle operator hasfailed to arrive at the EVCS at 935, then a determination is made at 945whether there is a second vehicle operator in the queue at 945. If so,then the next vehicle operator is notified of the lost reservation at950 and the second vehicle operator is notified of the availability ofthe EVCS for his or her use. An example of such a notification to thenext vehicle operator whose position in the queue has been lost appearsin FIG. 12D. The subject 1240 of this notification indicates that thereservation has been lost and the content 1242 indicates that queuedvehicle operator's new spot in the queue. An example of the messagereceived by the second vehicle operator appears in FIG. 12B. The process900 begins again with the second vehicle operator at 915.

If a determination is made at 945 that a second vehicle operator is notin the queue, then the next vehicle operator is notified that thereservation has been lost, but he or she is also notified that the EVCSis now available for use by anyone at 960. An example of such anotification appears in FIG. 12D. As seen in FIG. 12E, the subject 1250of this notification indicates that the reservation has been lost, butthe content 1252 indicates that the EVCS remains available for use byanyone.

At this point, the EVCS will accept all potential vehicle operators, notjust the one for whom the EVCS is being reserved. A single or repeatedfailure to utilize the EVCS after making a reservation may result inloss of reservation privileges—the ability to enter the reservationqueue—for a time period or indefinitely. The process ends a 995 afterany vehicle has begun charging at 920 or 940 or when the EVCS has beenmade available for all at 960 because there are no more vehicleoperators remaining in the queue.

Referring now to FIG. 10, an example queue 1000 is shown in table 1010.The User ID 1012, position 1014 and notification preferences 1016 areshown in table 1010. The user notification preferences 1016 indicate howa particular vehicle operator would prefer to be contacted regardingtheir status in the queue—particularly when he or she is top of thequeue. User A 1020 has chosen to be contacted via email 1022. User B1024 has chosen to be contacted via SMS (simple message service) 826.User D 1028 has chosen to be contacted, simultaneously via both 1030.

Though only SMS and email are provided as options here, other methodsmay also be employed, such as notifications in a dedicated mobileapplication may “pop up” on a particular user's smartphone.Alternatively, a telephone call may be placed to a mobile or othertelephone number associated with a particular user, the telephone callproviding an automated voice message notification.

Closing Comments

Throughout this description, the embodiments and examples shown shouldbe considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on the apparatus andprocedures disclosed or claimed. Although many of the examples presentedherein involve specific combinations of method acts or system elements,it should be understood that those acts and those elements may becombined in other ways to accomplish the same objectives. With regard toflowcharts, additional and fewer steps may be taken, and the steps asshown may be combined or further refined to achieve the methodsdescribed herein. Acts, elements and features discussed only inconnection with one embodiment are not intended to be excluded from asimilar role in other embodiments.

As used herein, “plurality” means two or more. As used herein, a “set”of items may include one or more of such items. As used herein, whetherin the written description or the claims, the terms “comprising”,“including”, “carrying”, “having”, “containing”, “involving”, and thelike are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including butnot limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and“consisting essentially of”, respectively, are closed or semi-closedtransitional phrases with respect to claims. Use of ordinal terms suchas “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., in the claims to modify a claimelement does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order ofone claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of amethod are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish oneclaim element having a certain name from another element having a samename (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claimelements. As used herein, “and/or” means that the listed items arealternatives, but the alternatives also include any combination of thelisted items.

1. A method of management of an electric vehicle charging stationcomprising: maintaining a plurality of requests to utilize the electricvehicle charging station in a queue defining an order of electricvehicles to be charged at the electric vehicle charging station;automatically sensing that a first vehicle at the electric vehiclecharging station and associated with a first vehicle operator hascompleted a charging process; notifying the first vehicle operator thatthe charging process is completed and providing an allotted vacationtime period in which the first vehicle operator may vacate the firstvehicle from the electric vehicle charging station; and automaticallyincreasing the cost associated with continued charging of the firstvehicle and enabling a second vehicle operator to anonymously contactthe first vehicle operator to request that the first vehicle be moved ifthe first vehicle is not vacated from the electric vehicle chargingstation within the allotted vacation time.
 2. The method of claim 1further comprising: automatically determining that a second vehicleassociated with a second vehicle operator is in the queue; notifying thesecond vehicle operator that the first vehicle operator has been askedto vacate the electric vehicle charging station; determining that thefirst vehicle has vacated the electric vehicle charging station; andnotifying the second vehicle operator that the first vehicle has vacatedthe electric vehicle charging station.
 3. (canceled)
 4. The method ofclaim 1 wherein text within the anonymous contact is predetermined by anadministrator of the electric vehicle charging station.
 5. The method ofclaim 2 further comprising: disabling the electric vehicle chargingstation for a movement time period allotted for the second vehicleoperator to move the second vehicle to the electric vehicle chargingstation; and reenabling the electric vehicle charging station during themovement time period only for the second vehicle operator.
 6. The methodof claim 5 further comprising reenabling the electric vehicle chargingstation after the movement time period for (1) a next vehicle in thequeue if there is at least one additional vehicle in the queue and (2)any vehicle if there is not at least one vehicle operator in the queue.7. The method of claim 5 further comprising notifying the second vehicleoperator of the location of the electric vehicle charging station and amovement time period during which the electric vehicle charge station isreserved for use by the second vehicle operator.
 8. The method of claim2 wherein the second vehicle is at the top of the queue based upon aselected one of: (1) membership in a group with priority access to theelectric vehicle charging station, (2) a willingness to pay a higherprice for access to the electric vehicle charging station, (3) awillingness to accept throttled electrical output from the electricvehicle charging station for at least a part of a charging session. 9.The method of claim 1 further comprising: determining that there are noelectric vehicles in the queue before notifying the first vehicleoperator that the charging process is completed and providing anallotted time in which the first vehicle operator may vacate the firstvehicle from the electric vehicle charging station; and enabling theelectric vehicle charging station for any electric vehicle after thefirst electric vehicle has vacated the electric vehicle chargingstation.
 10. An electric vehicle charging station management systemcomprising: a computing device for: determining that a first vehicleassociated with a first vehicle operator has vacated an electric vehiclecharging station; determining that a second vehicle associated with asecond vehicle operator is in a queue; and a communications system for:notifying the second vehicle operator that the first vehicle operatorhas been asked to vacate the electric vehicle charging station,notifying the second vehicle operator that the first vehicle has vacatedthe electric vehicle charging station.
 11. The electric vehicle chargingstation management system of claim 10 wherein the computing device isfurther for enabling the second vehicle operator to anonymously contactthe first vehicle operator to request that the first vehicle be moved.12. The electric vehicle charging station management system of claim 11wherein text within the anonymous contact is predetermined by anadministrator of the electric vehicle charging station.
 13. The electricvehicle charging station management system of claim 10 wherein thecomputing device is further for: disabling the electric vehicle chargingstation for a movement time period allotted for the second vehicleoperator to move the second vehicle to the electric vehicle chargingstation; and reenabling the electric vehicle charging station during themovement time period only for the second vehicle operator.
 14. Theelectric vehicle charging station management system of claim 13 whereinthe computing device is further for reenabling the electric vehiclecharging station after the movement time period for (1) a next electricvehicle in the queue if there is at least one additional vehicle in thequeue and (2) any vehicle if there is not at least one vehicle operatorin the queue.
 15. The electric vehicle charging station managementsystem of claim 14 wherein the communications system is further fornotifying the second vehicle operator of the location of the electricvehicle charging station and a movement time period during which theelectric vehicle charge station is reserved for use by the secondvehicle operator.
 16. The electric vehicle charging station managementsystem of claim 10 wherein the second vehicle operator is at the top ofthe queue based upon a selected one of: (1) membership in a group withpriority access to the electric vehicle charging station, (2) awillingness to pay a higher price for access to the electric vehiclecharging station, (3) a willingness to accept throttled electricaloutput from the electric vehicle charging station for at least a part ofa charging session.
 17. The electric vehicle charging station managementsystem of claim 10 wherein the computing device is further for:determining that there are no electric vehicles in the queue beforenotifying the first vehicle operator that the charging process iscompleted and providing an allotted time in which the first vehicleoperator may vacate the first vehicle from the electric vehicle chargingstation; and enabling the electric vehicle charging station for anyelectric vehicle after the first vehicle has vacated the electricvehicle charging station.
 18. The electric vehicle charging stationmanagement system of claim 10 wherein: the computing device is furtherfor: automatically determining that a second vehicle associated with asecond vehicle operator is in the queue, and determining whether thefirst vehicle has vacated the electric vehicle charging station; and thecommunication system is further for: notifying the second vehicleoperator that the first vehicle operator has been asked to vacate theelectric vehicle charging station, and after determining that the firstvehicle has vacated the electric vehicle charging station, notifying thesecond vehicle operator that the first vehicle has vacated the electricvehicle charging station.
 19. An electric vehicle charging stationmanagement system comprising: at least one electric vehicle chargingstation for providing electric charge to one or more electric vehicles;a sensor for sensing that a first vehicle associated with a firstvehicle operator has completed a charging process; a computing devicefor maintaining a plurality of requests to utilize the electric vehiclecharging station in a queue defining an order of electric vehicles to becharged at the electric vehicle charging station; a communicationssystem for notifying the first vehicle operator that the chargingprocess is completed and of an allotted vacation time period in whichthe first vehicle operator may vacate from the electric vehicle chargingstation and enabling the second vehicle operator to anonymously contactthe first vehicle operator to request that the charging vehicle bemoved; and the computing device further for automatically increasing thecost associated with continued charging of the first vehicle when thefirst vehicle is not vacated from the electric vehicle charging stationwithin an allotted vacation time.
 20. The electric vehicle chargingstation management system of claim 19 wherein: the computing device isfurther for: automatically determining that a second vehicle associatedwith a second vehicle operator is in the queue, and determining whetherthe first vehicle has vacated the electric vehicle charging station; andthe communication system is further for: notifying the second vehicleoperator that the first vehicle operator has been asked to vacate theelectric vehicle charging station, and after determining that the firstvehicle has vacated the electric vehicle charging station, notifying thesecond vehicle operator that the first vehicle has vacated the electricvehicle charging station.
 21. The electric vehicle charging stationmanagement system of claim 19 wherein text within the anonymous contactis predetermined by an administrator of the electric vehicle chargingstation.
 22. The electric vehicle charging station management system ofclaim 19 wherein the computing device is further for: disabling theelectric vehicle charging station for a movement time period allottedfor the second vehicle operator to move the second vehicle to theelectric vehicle charging station; and reenabling the electric vehiclecharging station during the movement time period only for the secondvehicle operator.
 23. The electric vehicle charging station managementsystem of claim 22 wherein the computing device is further forreenabling the electric vehicle charging station after the movement timeperiod for (1) a next electric vehicle in the queue if there is at leastone additional vehicle in the queue and (2) any vehicle if there is notat least one vehicle operator in the queue.
 24. The electric vehiclecharging station management system of claim 24 wherein thecommunications system is further for notifying the second vehicleoperator of the location of the electric vehicle charging station and amovement time period during which the electric vehicle charge station isreserved for use by the second vehicle operator.
 25. The electricvehicle charging station management system of claim 19 wherein thesecond vehicle operator is at the top of the queue based upon a selectedone of: (1) membership in a group with priority access to the electricvehicle charging station, (2) a willingness to pay a higher price foraccess to the electric vehicle charging station, (3) a willingness toaccept throttled electrical output from the electric vehicle chargingstation for at least a part of a charging session.
 26. The electricvehicle charging station management system of claim 19 wherein thecomputing device is further for: determining that there are no electricvehicles in the queue before notifying the first vehicle operator thatthe charging process is completed and providing an allotted time inwhich the first vehicle operator may vacate the first vehicle from theelectric vehicle charging station; and enabling the electric vehiclecharging station for any electric vehicle after the first vehicle hasvacated the electric vehicle charging station.